


Tea Time

by BlueDblue62



Category: Hermitcraft
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape Aftermath, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29692245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDblue62/pseuds/BlueDblue62
Summary: Zedaph and Skizz have a serious conversation over some tea
Relationships: None
Comments: 1
Kudos: 38





	Tea Time

**Author's Note:**

> Direct sequel to "Planting the Seed"
> 
> Also this is kind of half baked just as a warning sorry bout that lmao

Zedaph's hands were shaking so badly he could barely press the keys on the phone. The three large numbers glared at him from the lit screen, his thumb hesitating over the call button. 

_ Was there any point in calling the police anymore? The damage had been done already. They weren't going to help anything. It would just be more stress. _

Logically Zedaph knew he should still report the crime, describe the robber's faces so they could be caught and detained. He dragged a hand through his hair in distress, glaring at the phone. Why was this so difficult?

"Hey, I made some tea for you. It's your favorite!" Zedaph looked up at the announcement, forcing himself to return the smile his friend and neighbor offered him.

"Thanks, Skizz. I appreciate the thought." Zedaph set the phone down on the table and took the steaming cup in both hands, taking a small sip while Skizz sat beside him on the couch. Zedaph felt his shoulders relax a bit when the taste of the tea washed away the sour taste still residing in his mouth. It was silent for a few moments, almost claustrophobically so. Zedaph set the cup down on the table, the tap of it on the wooden surface sounding much too loud. The silence stretched on, neither wanting to say a thing.

"...How're you doing, buddy?" Skizz said finally, his voice softer and more gentle than Zedaph had ever heard him before. He lifted his head to look at his friend, eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

Skizz looked frowned, looking troubled.

"Your apartment just got broken into, and you're trying to act like everything is fine. You can talk to me, you know." He offered. 

"I know." Zedaph whispered, averting his gaze once more. "I don't even want to talk to the police about it. I'm not fully convinced I'm not having a nightmare still."

"Talk to me first, then call them. Use me as practice." Skizz put his hand on Zedaph's shoulder, getting his attention again. "This is a seriously traumatic thing to happen to you. Don't hold it in and make it worse." 

Zedaph stared at him silently, weighing his options. He was fine pretending none of it happened. It was hard to do so however, when every time he talked his throat burned, and his ribs and face were still aching. 

"Um. Okay." He whispered, staring down at his lap. It was easier to talk when Skizz's intense blue eyes weren't boring into his own. "I have no idea what time it was or how long they were there for. I was on the couch when I heard them come in." 

"You were there the entire time? I just assumed you'd caught them on their way out or something…" 

"Yeah." Zedaph swallowed hard, picking up his cup and taking another hurried sip before he could be sick again. "Yeah. There were two of them. One kept me at gunpoint while the other took what he wanted." He felt tears stinging his eyes, hiding behind his cup so Skizz wouldn't have to see. 

"He had a gun? Holy shit- I'm so glad you're okay. That could have ended a lot worse. I certainly would have woken up if I heard bullet shots."

"He never shot it, but he was so casual with the way he was waving it around, I just did whatever he wanted and I think it saved my life. It was the scariest thing I've ever encountered." 

"You're really brave, you know."

Zedaph looked up at him briefly, but didn't comment. "After the gun got pulled things get kind of foggy. I think I disassociated through a lot of it." He mumbled, tapping his fingers against the cup in his hands. Skizz didn't comment, waiting for him to continue. "I… I wish I'd blacked out for more of it. I wish I hadn't woken up and caught them at all. I wish they would have just taken my things and left." Zedaph whispered, closing his eyes and letting the tears fall. The hand on his shoulder squeezed gently in a comforting manner, Zedaph giving a weak hum of thanks.

"He- He made me get down on my knees, and started complimenting me, in a really creepy way." Zedaph went on, his voice trembling slightly. "It was almost like he was flirting with me, but it wasn't cute or charming at all. I already felt grossed out, but…" he swallowed hard, raising the cup in his hands to his mouth for another small sip to delay the inevitable, swallowing slowly before speaking again. 

"He was- The gun was  _ right there _ , Skizz. I couldn't- I wanted to fight back, I didn't want to do it. I didn't have a choice, he would have shot me if I tried to get away." 

Zedaph felt himself start crying again as he relived the panic he felt in the moment, just barely keeping himself grounded by watching the tea in his cup ripple as tears fell into it. He set the cup down on the table before his shaking hands could drop it onto his lap. "I didn't want to do it. I didn't want it, but he made me- I- I wanted my first time to be special, with someone I loved, and he…" he broke off with a sob, covering his face with his hands. 

Zedaph felt arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him in for a tight hug. Skizz still hadn't said anything, but Zedaph wasn't sure he would have the words either if someone had come to him with his situation. Zedaph didn't hesitate to return the hug, finally letting himself cry properly onto Skizz's shoulder. He didn't have it in him to feel embarrassed about crying in front of his friend like he might have any other day, he wasn't sure if he would have been able to stop crying even if he did care.

"I… I am so sorry. I don't even know what to say." Skizz finally spoke up once Zedaph's sobs became quieter and less frequent. Skizz leaned away from the hug, keeping his hands on Zedaph's shoulders and gazing at him mournfully. "I can't believe all of that happened just on the other side of my wall. If I had just come over to check on you, or- or given you a call, I could have-" 

"It isn't your fault." Zedaph interrupted. "Really. I'm not blaming you, so you shouldn't blame you, either." He insisted, gently breaking away from Skizz's grip to face forward once more, picking up his now room temperature tea. 

"Your hospitality after the fact is more than enough. Seriously, thank you. I don't know what I'd done if I had to deal with this by myself." Zedaph whispered, taking another drink from his cup and making a face when the lukewarm tea touched his tongue. 

"Of course! I'll always be here for you. The offer to stay overnight is still open if you're interested."

"I'd really appreciate that, thanks. Uh- is it too much to ask for me to sleep in your room? Not in your bed, of course, it's just-" 

"You don't have to explain yourself dude, it's fine. I think I've got an air mattress somewhere that I can set up for you, I don't mind." Skizz interrupted, patting him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Thank you." Zedaph said quietly, getting a friendly smile in return.

"Anything for you, buddy. Now go ahead and make that call while you're calmed down. It's not gonna make itself you know!" Skizz scolded lightly, already standing up and leaving the room presumably to get the air mattress he spoke of. 

Zedaph looked down at the phone, laying innocently on the coffee table. He reluctantly picked it up and turned the screen back on, the dial pad with the number 9-1-1 still where he left it. 

With a shaking sigh, he presses the 'call' button.


End file.
